The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-01
THE CONSCIENCE FUND.

LID OONOO1bNO6 UNI.
Perhaps the most unique account kept by
any government is that kept in the Uuited
States Treasury called ''the conscience fund"
If any other government keeps such an ac-
count we have never read of it. Certainly
none of the American States do, and probably
no other government. The conscience fund
for sums voluntarily returned to the Treasury
by persons who have received them from the
government without any just claim thereto.
They may have been obtained as the result of
a deliberate swindle or fraud or by an acct
dental overpaYment, or erroneous overcharge.
The individual may have kept the money
| and his guilty secret for a few hours, or for
months or years. Some consciences sleep a
/! long time, or work slowly. The amount thus
| wrongfuly obtained may have been very
| small, perhaps only the value of postage
stamp, or it may run up in the hundreds of
thousands of dollars. The operation Of con-
science is as varied as individual character.
/ and no two cases are alike. Some
| times the person who makes resttu-
ton gives some hint of how the
money was originally obtained, but more fire.
quently not The communication accom-
panying the return is generally of the briefest
| possible character, and almost invariably
anonymous. Probably the person making
restitution thinks it sufficient if he sets mat
ters right with his conscience. without making
himself known. In all such cases, and they
have been quite numerous, the money is cred
tied to the conscience fund. In covering it
| into the treasury it must be credited to some
fund, and that is the way it is done. And SO
the conscience fund accommodates from year to
year by the contributions of those who en-
deavor in this way to right wrong.
As we have said, none of the States have
such fund. No doubt many of them ought
to have, but they have not We should like
to see Indiana set the example Of establishing
a conscience fund, and. by way of feeler,
would suggest that Green Smith pay back to
the State the So which he overdrew on his
salary account, and still retains. Some might
think it more appropriate that the account
should be opened with larger entry, as, for
instance, of the s., 800 illegally drawn as sal.
airy by DR.. Harrison, portion Of the much
larger amount embezzled by Warden Howard.
In sense, that is true. Their contributions
to the conscience fund would be much
larger than Green Smiths, but we think ii
due him to let him have the honor of open
ing the account and setting the ball in mo-
ton. Recent events have made him the
leader of his party in a more striking degree
than either of the others, and the mere fac,
that their grab exceeded his should not give
them preference in a matter of this kind
Green Smith is better known, and it would
sound better outside of the State to say 'the
new conscience fund of Indiana received it,
first contribution to-day in the amount of So
illegally drawn from the treasury by State
Senator Green Smith, under the pretense that
he was entitled to extra pay as President o.
the Senate" AS it is matter of record and
pubic notoriety that he drew the money anc
still retains it, he would probably prefer thai
the restitution be given the same publicity
Thus he would receive large amount of free
advertising, and, perhaps, would pass int
history as the father of the Indiana con
science fund